Barbara Martin Stephens Libros

Until his retirement in 2011, Dr. Martin Stephen was High Master of St Paul's School, and before that of Manchester Grammar School, two of the most academically successful independent schools in the world, bar none. As such, he is uniquely placed to write a study of that extraordinary phenomenon, the English public school, institutions that are as admired in some quarters as they are despised and vilified in others. His book, however, is no hagiography, and pulls no punches when it comes to the author's views on the failings of private educational establishments, while also showing that their benefits can be, and increasingly are, harnessed for a much wider good. His own long and influential experience within that world allows him to expose a world that is rarely less than baffling to outside observers, and frequently reviled; his often scathing and satirical view of public schools make his book a must read for anyone who is thinking of putting little Tarquin down for Eton or, conversely, for anyone who would like to see the places razed and their ruins sown with salt. But, as the author writes, "If you are English and reading this now, a public school boy or girl is influencing your life."

As charismatic and gifted as he was volatile, Jimmy Martin recorded dozens of bluegrass classics and co-invented the high lonesome sound. Barbara Martin Stephens became involved with the King of Bluegrass at age seventeen. Don't Give your Heart to a Rambler tells the story of their often tumultuous life together. Barbara bore his children and took on a crucial job as his booking agent when the agent he was using failed to obtain show dates for the group. Female booking agents were non-existent at that time but she persevered and went on to become the first female booking agent on Music Row. She also endured years of physical and emotional abuse at Martin's hands. With courage and candor, Barbara tells of the suffering and traces the hard-won personal growth she found inside marriage, motherhood, and her work. Her vivid account of Martin's explosive personality and torment over his exclusion from the Grand Ole Opry fill in the missing details on a career renowned for being stormy. Yet, Barbara also shares her own journey, one of good humor and proud achievements, and filled with fond and funny recollections of the music legends and ordinary people she met, befriended, and represented along the way. Straightforward and honest, Don't Give your Heart to a Rambler is a woman's story of the world of bluegrass and one of its most colorful, conflicted artists.

Boy meets pen in this funny, concise, and touching picture book about maintaining friendship across great distances.